Dan Hurley on summer plans and transfer Tyrese Martin

The weight rooms and basketball courts inside the Werth Basketball Championship Center are empty these days at UConn. But head coach Dan Hurley is finding ways to hold team activities.

Instead of looking to build off a strong finish to this past season with workouts and conditioning, head coach Dan Hurley finds himself leading virtual meetings with players and staff.

"That part really stinks,” said Hurley via conference call Thursday afternoon. “We are used to seeing our guys every day, interacting with them, seeing them at meals, seeing them at study hall, stopping through the office.

“The secret sauce of our program is the deep connections and that part has been very, very hard.”

In order to accomplish it, Hurley and his staff have done the weekly video conference calls to check in and plan for the future.

“We are putting in a call (on Zoom), it’s always to catch up but we are talking a little bit more about personal growth and maturity, maybe education,” Hurley said. “And then we are doing a WebEx call talking about basketball.

“We are taking a Big East opponent every week and kind of breaking down their roster, their style of play, starting to prep for next year just to keep them engaged.”

New Additions

Earlier in the day, UConn made it official that guard Tyrese Martin had joined the program after transferring from the University of Rhode Island, leaving one open roster spot. Martin was recruited by Hurley at URI, but never played for the coach since Hurley left for UConn prior to Martin’s campus arrival.

“During the time during the recruiting period where it’s hard to really get to know each other because there are no in-person visits or no campus visits, being able to bring a guy on board like Tyrese, we knew each other well from years back during the recruiting process,” Hurley said. “When we were able to start talking to him after he went into the portal, obviously, it was a relationship that had a foundation, so that certainly helps during a time when schools are making decisions on players, players are making decisions on programs that don’t know each other very well.”

When Martin is eligible to play for the Huskies will depend on if or when the NCAA decides to adjust its transfer rules, which is expected to be decided in the next month or so. As of now, Martin would not be able to play until the 2021-22 season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

The additions of guard R.J. Cole and forward Richie Springs, who both sat out last season, and freshmen Andre Jackson and Javonte Brown-Ferguson give the Huskies 10 bodies.

“I think we have a really good mix,” Hurley said. “We return a number of guys, a number of rotation players that played well for us last year and helped elevate things, or have multiple years of experience with us.

“Then the additions of R.J. and Richie, although they didn’t play college basketball for us yet, they understand how we are trying to play here, our philosophy here and our culture,” he added.

Looking Ahead

While having Martin eligible right away will be a nice luxury for the Huskies in their return to the Big East, the current roster seems to be well balanced.

“There’s going to be an infusion of a number of players who are new to the program but we have a great core and base guys,” Hurley said.

A solid nucleus is in place with senior-to-be centers Josh Carlton and Isaiah Whaley, plus forward Tyler Polley (knee) expected back from injury, along with guards James Bouknight, Brendan Adams and Jalen Gaffney.

Akok Akok (Achilles’ tendon) is also on the mend and the Huskies are hoping he returns once conference play begins. He’s at the point in his rehab where he’s been attempting weightless treadmill work.

“Akok looks great, he’s surgeon said he couldn’t look any better,” Hurley said. “He’s off crutches.”

As far as filling a final spot on the roster, Hurley remains open to pursuing all avenues to do it.

“We want to continue to add talent to the program but also the right talent,” he said. “We’re not playing fantasy basketball, it’s never been about trying to accumulate guys who have the most stars or who impress the most scouting service people.

“What we are looking for is obviously talent and also guys who are going to fit into the culture that we've been able to build in two years and can fit into a group and fill a role for a program that’s got a lot of momentum.”